Man Cage

I don't think there is a safe way to life a man with a crane. There are just too many variables that can go wrong, that's why it's never been done before.

First there is the wind, you don't want a man swinging in the wind, not safe, he could swing into power lines or building or anything else.

Next is the stability of the crane itself, should the cable break, the man is dead, no way to save him. again, not safe.

What if the crane flips or crashes, and they do, just a few weeks ago in New York City a crane came down and killed 6 people. Not safe to have a man on the end of the line.

Lastly here in the US, we have laws against having people suspended from cranes.

I don't want to be the nay sayer, but I do want to let you see everything your up against.

Good luck

I am not sure of your industry but in offshore, we use crane to lift people from boat to boat. you can google a bit on the term "man-riding crane". the key note for me(and it apply only for me) is the crane have to de-rate to 30% of it's normal SWL and the hoist have to have a mechanism to allow manual lowering in-case of power failure.

you should read some on standard rules for class society like API 2C or DNV rules for lifing appliances. it will shed some light on that.

Thanks Zichau, I will

I've used these before, called a "skip box".

Yea, is it OSHA approved?

Most likely not and if someone were to get killed falling out of it, not only would the company be liable for lawsuit but the safety manager can be sued separately and the supervisor can go to jail.

It was OSHA approved when I was using them... of course you had to use a harness and be tied off inside.

chazl

Cranes/Hoists are not supposed to carry people. For carrying people there are additional safety requirements such as suspension should be by 2 ropes or 2 hoists, 2 brakes, overspeed safety brake as provided in passenger lifts.

Man baskets have been used for years in the crane and rigging industry, there are OSHA regulations goverening them in the US. I think that you should start there for your specs.

I agree with rickZ. on a dock that I visited a few years ago, the "man box" was designed by an engineer and had to be entirely dismantled because the engineer was not present during the welding of the box. and then rebuild it. [Canada, west coast] It was to hold 8 or 10 people I think. I t was a 20 foot shipping container with top intact and hand rails, safety lines etc. try out "transport canada, maritime division." good luck.

The two most dangerous industrial vehicles are forklifts and cranes. OSHA has these two in a category all by themselves.

I get OSHA newsletters all the time. Recently there was an article of a crane accident that caused a car accident, killing both passengers in the car and the crane operator's supervisor. The crane operator has had involuntary manslaughter charges brought up against him.

It seems the most common of all accidents in the OSHA newsletter are from trench cave-ins and crane accidents.

Read the owners manual for the crane. If it says that the crane is not to be used for lifting people, then you cannot use it and OSHA will go by that if an inspector comes to the site. Even if it says it's OK to use it, an OSHA inspector has the power to override it based on their own opinion and fine you for unsafe operation with the crane.

If there is an apparatus for lifting personnel with a crane, it is best to go through the crane manufacturers for it. In that way, you can be most assured that you would be in compliance if one is available. It is in my opinion that there won't be because of liability issues. Forklift companies won't make extensions for forklifts because of liability issues so I really don't see a crane company wanting such liability on their shoulders when it comes to lifting personnel.

You have to have a OSHA approved basket and test it each morning. Most now have lifting lugs on the bottom to attach the test load. You then support the test load for a time (I believe it is 15 minutes). The crane must not permit free fall.

The personnel in the basket and the crane operator must be able to commutate, either by hand signals or radio.

Man baskets are often used in refineries and are quite safe with a good operator.

I can say that I was terrified by an operator in Anadarka, OK. This operator came in on the weekend and when he lifted me, he would not follow any directions! It was an hydraulic crane and he rammed the boom in the bottom of the pipe rack, he caught the edge of basket on the edge of a pipe stanchion and it turned almost 90 degrees before I could shake it loose. I finally got the operators attention and got him to sit me back on the ground.

I went flying to speak to the operator you can bet, and it turned out, that even though he had been a licenced operator for thirty years, all of his experience was on a pipeline side boom.

We did not get any work accomplished that weekend.

maby before you work with the man , talk with him first as to where he's been and what he's done! you should have his number within a few questions wether to trust him or not! jj ironworker#33

Hi, Is there anybody still doubting the safe use of a man cage, Maybe I could assist contact me <email removed>

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